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The world’s two largest economies， China and the United States， mark the 35th anniversary of their diplomatic relations on January 1. In the years since 1979 many questions have been asked about this crucial relationship， most notably what are the obstacles and in what direction is the relationship developing？ Selected Chinese scholars and diplomats share their thoughts on these and other questions. Excerpts follow：“Cold war is better than real war， trade war is better than cold war and negotiations are better than trade war.”
The late Chinese leader Mao Zedong is often quoted as saying relations between countries should not only look good， but also be mutually beneficial. For the complicated Sino-U.S. relationship， the economic and trade bonds between the two is as Mao said. The abundant accomplishments achieved during the 24th China-U.S. Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade held in Beijing in December 2013 are proof that there are more common interests between the two despite differences.
The common economic and trade interests between China and the United States are evident as they have already become one another’s second largest trading partner. Chinese statistics show that bilateral trade volume reached $484.7 billion in 2012， more than 200 times that of 1979， when the two countries established their official relationship. Though Sino-U.S. trade conflicts always attract attention， the conflicts show that the trade relationship between the two countries has achieved great developments. They also reflect that the existing management system has failed to adapt to further development of the bilateral trade relationship. Thus， negotiations are needed to remove barriers.
There are common interests between China and the United States， but that doesn’t mean the interests of the two countries are completely in accordance. Chinese President Xi Jinping has said， “The Pacific Ocean is broad enough for the two powers of China and the United States.” The two countries should both have the confidence and capacity to manage their differences and build， maintain and develop a constructive， competitive and negotiable relationship. Whether for these two countries， or the world at large， cold war is better than real war， trade war is better than cold war and negotiations are better than trade war.
In many cases， differences between the two countries are caused by some political factions in the United States imposing their views on China， but these views are often untenable and the common interests between China and the United States are“The Sino-U.S. relationship is not an issue concerning only the two countries， but it also concerns the whole world.” After 35 years of development， SinoU.S. relations have reached an unprecedented high. Even U.S. politicians Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski， the major promoters of the establishment of Sino-U.S. diplomatic relations， feel positive about the current close relationship between the two countries.
The highly interdependent economic and trade relationship is the most characteristic part of the Sino-U.S. relationship. Cultural exchanges have also helped enhance mutual understanding. Chinese people are interested in U.S. culture. For instance， Hollywood movies and U.S. pop music are very popular in China. Also， Chinese culture is gradually finding its way into U.S. society. “Mandarin fever” is emerging in the United States in tandem with the rapid growth of the Chinese economy. In 2010， the U.S. Government decided to send 100，000 students to study in China over the following four years.
With frequent top-level meetings and consultations on the platform of the ChinaU.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue， mutual learning has been enhanced and political trust is deepening. But one thing that should be noted is that learning does not mean understanding. What the two sides need to do is deepen understanding on the basis of learning.
Generally speaking， the Sino-U.S. relationship has undergone a phase of mutual economic interdependence and entered a phase of mutual economic and political interdependence. In the next phase， it should develop into comprehensive mutual interdependence on economy， politics as well as security.
However， the development of the Sino-U.S. relationship is not linear. Problems and differences still exist between the two countries.
The trade deficit is one of the most important factors affecting Sino-U.S. relations economically. The United States should avoid politicizing economic issues. To a great extent， the unfavorable balance of trade is caused by the United States itself. On the one hand， many Chinese products exported to the United States are actually produced by U.S. enterprises in China； therefore， the profit also flows back to the United States. On the other hand， Washington imposes high restrictions on hi-tech exports to China， which also contributes to the trade gap. The two countries could cooperate in many fields regarding cutting-edge technology， such as exploring outer space together.
In recent years， with the rise of China and the relative slowing down of the United States， the two countries once again entered a period of adapting to each other in the Asia-Pacific region. By reading too much into China’s defense policy， the United States can easily make strategic misjudgments， while its rebalancing strategy causes China to naturally become more de- fensive. This problem needs to be resolved as China and the United States seek to develop a new type of relations between major powers. If we say the stability of the Asia-Pacific region lies in a stable Sino-U.S. relationship， addressing regional problems with Sino-U.S. joint efforts will not only benefit the region， but also contribute to mutual trust and a better bilateral relationship.
Overall， the Sino-U.S. relationship is no longer asymmetric， but mutually dependent. The two sides need mutual understanding to shape and influence each other. Washington needs to change its traditional attitude in acting as a teacher when dealing with China. China needs to learn from the United States while the United States also needs to learn from China. The Sino-U.S. relationship is not an issue concerning only the two countries， but it also concerns the whole world.
Chen Yonglong，
former Chinese
Ambassador to
Israel and former Minister Counselor at the Chinese
Embassy in the
United States
“To guarantee the right direction for the two countries， a fourth Sino-U.S. joint communique should be put on the agenda.”
Thirty-five years ago， China and the United States established official relations. Today， for the long-term prosperity of one another， as well as world peace， I think the two powers will continue to march forward together. The Annenberg Estate meeting of Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Barack Obama in June 2013 sent good signals and marked a new development stage for Sino-U.S. relations as the two countries reached consensus on building a new type of relationship between major countries.
Building this new type of relationship is a century-long project. There are many areas for the two countries to work on together， transforming consensus to policy and then to action.
To guarantee the right direction for the two countries， a fourth Sino-U.S. joint communique should be put on the agenda. The new joint communique should focus on the purpose， principle and objectives of building this new type of relationship， which could become the roadmap for development of the Sino-U.S. relationship in a new era.
Both countries need to expand mutual trust to lay a strategic foundation for this new type of relationship. Many observers have played up mutual distrust between Beijing and Washington given their vastly different social systems and values， which some claim may become factors that could lead to war. We need to admit the differences between the two countries objectively， and we also need to change the confrontational mindset to match modern security concepts， as well as ideas of common interests. Building a cooperative partnership benefits both sides.
A sound bilateral economic and trade relationship serves as a good basis for a strong Sino-U.S. relationship. Strengthening cooperation on trade and investment should be a long-term process and needs joint efforts. No matter how many differences there are between them， economic mutual dependence between the two is the reality. The role of economic cooperation in the overall Sino-U.S. relationship will continually increase.
We also feel positive that military exchanges between China and the United States are becoming more active. Mutual visits by military leaders become more frequent. These are conducive to a new type of military relationship. Still， to promote the balanced development of the overall Sino-U. S. relationship， China and the United States should upgrade strategic dialogue regarding security and further enhance pragmatic cooperation and exchanges between the two militaries.
The late Chinese leader Mao Zedong is often quoted as saying relations between countries should not only look good， but also be mutually beneficial. For the complicated Sino-U.S. relationship， the economic and trade bonds between the two is as Mao said. The abundant accomplishments achieved during the 24th China-U.S. Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade held in Beijing in December 2013 are proof that there are more common interests between the two despite differences.
The common economic and trade interests between China and the United States are evident as they have already become one another’s second largest trading partner. Chinese statistics show that bilateral trade volume reached $484.7 billion in 2012， more than 200 times that of 1979， when the two countries established their official relationship. Though Sino-U.S. trade conflicts always attract attention， the conflicts show that the trade relationship between the two countries has achieved great developments. They also reflect that the existing management system has failed to adapt to further development of the bilateral trade relationship. Thus， negotiations are needed to remove barriers.
There are common interests between China and the United States， but that doesn’t mean the interests of the two countries are completely in accordance. Chinese President Xi Jinping has said， “The Pacific Ocean is broad enough for the two powers of China and the United States.” The two countries should both have the confidence and capacity to manage their differences and build， maintain and develop a constructive， competitive and negotiable relationship. Whether for these two countries， or the world at large， cold war is better than real war， trade war is better than cold war and negotiations are better than trade war.
In many cases， differences between the two countries are caused by some political factions in the United States imposing their views on China， but these views are often untenable and the common interests between China and the United States are“The Sino-U.S. relationship is not an issue concerning only the two countries， but it also concerns the whole world.” After 35 years of development， SinoU.S. relations have reached an unprecedented high. Even U.S. politicians Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski， the major promoters of the establishment of Sino-U.S. diplomatic relations， feel positive about the current close relationship between the two countries.
The highly interdependent economic and trade relationship is the most characteristic part of the Sino-U.S. relationship. Cultural exchanges have also helped enhance mutual understanding. Chinese people are interested in U.S. culture. For instance， Hollywood movies and U.S. pop music are very popular in China. Also， Chinese culture is gradually finding its way into U.S. society. “Mandarin fever” is emerging in the United States in tandem with the rapid growth of the Chinese economy. In 2010， the U.S. Government decided to send 100，000 students to study in China over the following four years.
With frequent top-level meetings and consultations on the platform of the ChinaU.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue， mutual learning has been enhanced and political trust is deepening. But one thing that should be noted is that learning does not mean understanding. What the two sides need to do is deepen understanding on the basis of learning.
Generally speaking， the Sino-U.S. relationship has undergone a phase of mutual economic interdependence and entered a phase of mutual economic and political interdependence. In the next phase， it should develop into comprehensive mutual interdependence on economy， politics as well as security.
However， the development of the Sino-U.S. relationship is not linear. Problems and differences still exist between the two countries.
The trade deficit is one of the most important factors affecting Sino-U.S. relations economically. The United States should avoid politicizing economic issues. To a great extent， the unfavorable balance of trade is caused by the United States itself. On the one hand， many Chinese products exported to the United States are actually produced by U.S. enterprises in China； therefore， the profit also flows back to the United States. On the other hand， Washington imposes high restrictions on hi-tech exports to China， which also contributes to the trade gap. The two countries could cooperate in many fields regarding cutting-edge technology， such as exploring outer space together.
In recent years， with the rise of China and the relative slowing down of the United States， the two countries once again entered a period of adapting to each other in the Asia-Pacific region. By reading too much into China’s defense policy， the United States can easily make strategic misjudgments， while its rebalancing strategy causes China to naturally become more de- fensive. This problem needs to be resolved as China and the United States seek to develop a new type of relations between major powers. If we say the stability of the Asia-Pacific region lies in a stable Sino-U.S. relationship， addressing regional problems with Sino-U.S. joint efforts will not only benefit the region， but also contribute to mutual trust and a better bilateral relationship.
Overall， the Sino-U.S. relationship is no longer asymmetric， but mutually dependent. The two sides need mutual understanding to shape and influence each other. Washington needs to change its traditional attitude in acting as a teacher when dealing with China. China needs to learn from the United States while the United States also needs to learn from China. The Sino-U.S. relationship is not an issue concerning only the two countries， but it also concerns the whole world.
Chen Yonglong，
former Chinese
Ambassador to
Israel and former Minister Counselor at the Chinese
Embassy in the
United States
“To guarantee the right direction for the two countries， a fourth Sino-U.S. joint communique should be put on the agenda.”
Thirty-five years ago， China and the United States established official relations. Today， for the long-term prosperity of one another， as well as world peace， I think the two powers will continue to march forward together. The Annenberg Estate meeting of Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Barack Obama in June 2013 sent good signals and marked a new development stage for Sino-U.S. relations as the two countries reached consensus on building a new type of relationship between major countries.
Building this new type of relationship is a century-long project. There are many areas for the two countries to work on together， transforming consensus to policy and then to action.
To guarantee the right direction for the two countries， a fourth Sino-U.S. joint communique should be put on the agenda. The new joint communique should focus on the purpose， principle and objectives of building this new type of relationship， which could become the roadmap for development of the Sino-U.S. relationship in a new era.
Both countries need to expand mutual trust to lay a strategic foundation for this new type of relationship. Many observers have played up mutual distrust between Beijing and Washington given their vastly different social systems and values， which some claim may become factors that could lead to war. We need to admit the differences between the two countries objectively， and we also need to change the confrontational mindset to match modern security concepts， as well as ideas of common interests. Building a cooperative partnership benefits both sides.
A sound bilateral economic and trade relationship serves as a good basis for a strong Sino-U.S. relationship. Strengthening cooperation on trade and investment should be a long-term process and needs joint efforts. No matter how many differences there are between them， economic mutual dependence between the two is the reality. The role of economic cooperation in the overall Sino-U.S. relationship will continually increase.
We also feel positive that military exchanges between China and the United States are becoming more active. Mutual visits by military leaders become more frequent. These are conducive to a new type of military relationship. Still， to promote the balanced development of the overall Sino-U. S. relationship， China and the United States should upgrade strategic dialogue regarding security and further enhance pragmatic cooperation and exchanges between the two militaries.